Inside the Spin-Mosaic Studio

In black and white, neither the butterfly or the chrysalis can show off its fullest glory.

The last blog featured a sketch of Donna's chrysalis dangling above the brick foundation of her house last year. It was so stunning that the fragile memory still swam around in the shallow waters of my mind until my pencil found my sketchbook last week. In process, the sketch went from light pencil lead to pen and ink to watercolor. 

A sketch is an unfinished stage, it is not a finished work. Artwork is not exhibited, priced or sold at the sketching stage. As an artist, I have gone against the grain to even post it. To post unfinished work is vulnerable. Artists will get this. The finished work of art still resides in the mind of the artist.

The reason I posted my sketch was to engage imagination and curiosity. By posting a black and white sketch and saying "it is unfinished", the right side of the brain shifts over to the left side of the brain. Without even turning the pages of a coloring book, your glance begins to fill in the empty spaces. Colors are imagined. What is simple is embellished. Our brains cannot resist the temptation.

It is a natural default and impulse for both our brains and our hearts to imagine possibilities. The butterfly analogy is full of possibilities and new beginnings. This is known. My analogy has a new twist. It has to do with vision and navigation; the two most significant and miraculous metamorphosis that enables the life of a butterfly to thrive in the big world it has suddenly found itself in.

As you think about your creative child, go from single vision to compound vision; just like the caterpillar in the chrysalis. Shift your heart to go from peripheral to central, just like the positioning of the new butterfly's heart within its abdominal cavity. Let this be your take-away.

You are on the top of the short list of the most influential people in your creative child's life. As your vision of your child's potential expands; so will theirs. As your heart for your creative child expands; so will theirs.

Kids relate to butterflies. They see them outside, chase them in the grass, and learn about them at school. As a guest artist at many schools, I read Eric Carle's beloved book, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to prep discussion of my art technique. When I ask, "Who has read this book?" They ALL raise their hand. When I feign forgetful and ask, "The caterpillar turns into whaaaattt?" They chant in unison. They know this story!  

Backpeddle. It is not the physical outward transformation I want to focus on here; it is the internal transformation. Over a 10-day period within the redemptive entombment of the chrysalis, a caterpillar's vision goes from singular to compound. The eye goes from a single focal point (like ours) to thousands of focal points (like a fly). The two eyes we see in their tiny faces (if we can get that close) contain thousands of "ommatidium" eyes within each eye creating a broad field of vision beyond what humans can imagine!

Butterflies transform in ten days; a child's significant development and transformation occurs in a span of about ten years.

The heart of a caterpillar changes shape, size, and location in order to fit within the new abdominal cavity. The new muscular system must be able to propel wings, react to wind current, and navigate the skill to land and latch onto a delicate flower petal safely from the first second they emerge.

A creative child grows within the perceived atmosphere of your home and your chosen mode of education. Consider these developmental years like a chrysalis. If your child is predisposition as creative, their chrysalis may need to look a little different. Creative "caterpillars' (I say this lovingly...I birthed four of them), often possess different vision and different hearts to begin with.

Never-the-less, wether they grow to be a monarch, or a swallowtail, or a blazing blue morpho, we can help them translate what they see so that they perceive their world in the best light possible. We can help the muscles of their hearts grow so that their wings can weather the strongest currents and they can land safely where they choose.

Identifiers and strategies of strong hearts and healthy vision will be discussed in a sequence of short stories and relayed experiences in successive blogs.

Action Step: Celebrate your creative child today. This doesn't have to mean a dozen balloons dropped off at their school. It can start with little things. Grab a sticky note or a little piece of paper and some tape. Jot a quick note that mentions creativity. "Brandon, you are creative! I love that! -- Love, Mom." or "Julie, you are Creative! Good Job! --Mr. Parker". These simple acknowledgement that you see where they excel can go a long way.

See https:answersingenesis.org/kids/videos/animals/metamorphosis